I'm a French CEO in NYC. I say 'no' to 80% of emails, take two-hour lunches, and don't compare myself to others.

Julie Chapon, the 39-year-old CEO and co-founder of Yuka, resides in New York City. This as-told-to essay recounts her daily routine. Chapon wakes up at 6:30 a.m. to spend time with her children, who are 4 and 5 1/2 years old. She is a morning person, waking up early and enjoying the peacefulness of her morning. Chapon drives her kids to school at 8:15 a.m., arriving at the office by 7:30 a.m. She eschews traditional meal protocols, skipping breakfast entirely.

Instead, she utilizes her morning commute to cycle to work, where her best ideas often come. Upon arriving at the coworking space, she writes down her thoughts and meets with her teams in France and the US. Chapon believes in the importance of unstructured time, allowing her to work on projects without rigid constraints. Her afternoon is largely free from meetings, giving her the flexibility to tackle tasks as they arise.

Chapon leaves the office at 5:30 p.m. to be with her family, returning home around 6 p.m. to spend quality time with her kids before they go to bed. She has a goal to learn cooking to encourage her children to appreciate vegetables.